Sound Lab  Room 1442

Ask for Chris Stubbs and experience the Berning 845 ZOTL amplifiers with Sound Lab electrostatic loudspeakers, EnKlein XerXes cables and high-rez music files by MA Records. Dave Kleinbeck the EnKlein designer and Todd Garfinkle the recording engineer at MA Records will be on-site.

Additionally, MA Recordings in Vinyl, CD, DSD formate will be ‘on sale’ in the room.

Berning SET (Single Ended Triode) OTL 20 w Reference amplifier. 4-chassis. The final iteration of the Berning ZOTL circuit utilizing the incomparable Ypsilon manufactured silver wire wound external 45 pound inductors. The umbilical cables are silver wired EnKlein developed for the amplifier. Note: the top covers are removed to show the Faraday enclosed proprietary switch-mode power supply. $215,000 pr.

Shop my Audiogon store https://www.audiogon.com/stores/hi_fi1

David Berning/Hi Fi One 845 ZOTL mono-block. $80,000 USD delivered world-wide.

Auto-biases to the 211 or 845 tube based on their high-speed switch mode and full power factor connected advanced power supplies. Plug n' play worldwide with full power factor correction.

The next generation of the Berning 845 OTL. It is significantly improved beyond the 2015 Absolute Sound amplifier of the year review pair.  And both reviews by Robert Harley over a year apart  -- for the same amplifier. 60 WPC, Triode, Class A, Zero feedback, OTL. with 2 parallel output tubes that are superlinear -- 211 and 845. Compare this with any other OTL.

SMc Audio’s (Steve McCormack) developed a twenty-pound brass multi-layer damping and mechanical ground system expressly for Berning/Hi-Fi One amplifier. It forms the base of the amplifier, adding stiffness, rigidity, and a termination path for vibrational energy. Stillpoints OEM Ultra bases are installed and will accept any 1/4-20 pitch ’foot’. Thus providing the proprietary circuitry an idealized environment to reproduce sound with the least degradation. In combination with the other electrical and mechanical upgrades, the amplifier is transformed.

The all-new tube sockets are now made of milled Teflon and beryllium copper with next-generation circuit board material, silver wiring, NOS small tube set, Elrog German 845’s, Panasonic capacitors, dual silver WBT binding posts, iGO IEC’s, WBT RCA’s and silver internal contact Switchcraft XLR connectors.Carlsbad, California-based demonstration can be arranged by appointment. See my website for rbhifi1.com for reviews of the original amp and the demonstration system.

These OTL amplifiers run real-world loudspeakers. They are not as speaker-dependent as conventional OTL’s. Not even close. The patented ZOTL impedance matching circuit and advanced switch-mode power supply provides sufficient power transfer to run all Magicos, Wilsons, Sonus Faber, Karma (et.al.), electrostatic, horns, ribbons (except Apogee), and some planar magnetic speakers. Additionally, the super-low noise floor was specifically developed with horns.

In short, this is not a conventional OTL amplifier in design nor does it have the same degree of load sensitivity as a typical OTL. lt does not require a large number of tubes to run in parallel (and highly biased greatly shortening tube life) to get the impedance down enough to directly drive the loudspeaker. This typically limits conventional OTL designs to 6C33 and 6AS7 tubes. A conventional OTL will require eight 6AS7 output tubes to get 60 WPC. In the Berning design, four 211 or 845 tubes generate 60wpc class A, triode. More importantly, neither conventional OTL tube provides the triode sonics of the 211 and 845.

The elegant Berning solution to the conventional output transformer is an impedance converter that does not have the output tubes directly connected to the speaker.

Excerpted with permission from Robert Harley’s Absolute Sound review: "...I won’t mince words: The Berning 211/845 is the most beautiful sounding amplifier I’ve ever heard. One could easily invoke the stereotype of a triode amplifier that has no feedback and lacks an output transformer and immediately jump to the conclusion that the word “beautiful” means that the amplifier imposes itself on the music in a flatteringly euphonic way, like a soft-focus filter on a lens. But that’s not the case. The Berning sounds beautiful because the music sounds beautiful; this amplifier simply introduces less artifice and coloration that would diminish that beauty.

The 211/845 is unique in the way it strips away a kind of electronic tincture, leaving in its place a totally natural and believable musical presentation. With most superb systems, certain recordings can, at certain times, create a “fool-you” realism that sounds so lifelike you experience a sudden frisson. The 211/845 delivers such delights regularly, and with apparent ease. Moreover, the experience doesn’t last for a brief moment before the illusion collapses but is sustained for entire pieces of music. It’s quite a magic trick, conjuring a startling palpability by stripping away the last vestige of an electronic signature. It’s as though instruments and voices have been laid bare, with a natural and organic quality.

Reproduction of the human voice is a particularly stark example of this amplifier’s utter transparency. I could cite any number of instances, but two come immediately to mind as particularly vivid: Ella Fitzgerald on the 45rpm Analogue Productions LP of Ella and Louis and Jennifer Warnes on The Hunter[Impex LP]. On the track “Moonlight in Vermont” Ella’s entrance is genuinely startling, so convincing is the illusion of a living, breathing human being standing between the loudspeakers. The more modern recording of Warnes was rendered by the Berning with such immediacy that I felt that I heard her voice’s beautiful and unique timbre fully for the first time. In both examples, the Berning conveyed nuances of timbre, dynamics, inflection, phrasing, and expression in previously unparalleled abundance. Thanks to these qualities, the Berning is a crystal-clear window back through time to the original musical event. 

The 211/845 experience is like that of the best direct-to-disc LPs or first-generation analog tapes; you can immediately hear that a layer has been removed between you and the music. In its ability to reproduce instruments and voices with this level of believability, the Berning has no equal in my experience..."

There are no user-replaceable fuses, the amplifier’s protection circuitry is that effective. No more chasing expensive audiophile fuses. Or listening through one.

The Audiophile Junkie visits Hi-Fi One

Gordon Murray’s next unobtainable cost-no-object uber car. Just for fun!

Gordon Murray’s next unobtainable cost-no-object uber car. Just for fun!

Technology in the service of music" is more than a sales slogan with the David Berning and Hi-Fi One.

Call +1 (612-817-1599) for details on the Lyra trade-up and exchange policy against a new Lyra cartridge. And please visit my showroom in Carlsbad, California to experience the reference system principally on vinyl .

Tidal Akira speakers, Berning Hi-Fi One edition amplifiers, The SET 20w 4-box OTL Reference with Ypsilon silver wire wound inductors and the 845 ZOTL 60w. Both utilize German Elrog 845 or 2112 tubes interchangeably without adjustment. , EnKlein XerXes and Wm Eikos cables. SMc / Hi Fi One edition VRE 2 Silver edition line stage, SMc / Hi Fi One edition Nexus AC conditioner and grounding station with a Furutech V1 AC cable and Lyra Connoisseur 4-3 phono stage, emm Labs reference DAC2 v2 and NS1 streamer, Dohmann Helix 1 MK 3 turntable with Kuzma Safir tonearm + Lyra Atlas Lambda + WAM Enginering brass zeinth shim, Stillpoints Aperture room treatments rack and HRS custom made for Berning amplifiers stands, Ayra RevOpod isolation devices and the Sonorus Proximity analogue room correction system.

This system defines the Hi Fi One ethos – technology in the service of music.

I look forward to serving you by appointment 7 days a week.

Rick Brown
+1 612 817 1599
rbhifi1.com

 

RBHIFI1 Newsletter
June 2017

Munich High End Show & Carlsbad, Ca reference system improvements

THE Show Newport 2015
New Report September 21, 2015

Jim Merod writing for PositiveFeedback.com

THE Show Newport May 31, 2015
New Report September 21, 2015

Jason Serinus writing for Stereophile.com was on assignment covering "cost-no-object systems". 

The most mesmerizing system I encountered at THE Show—the one I most regretted not being able to revisit on Day 3—was jointly presented by Rick Brown of Hi Fi One of Southern California and Stillpoints. Brown, shown here with Steve McCormack, worked with Paul Wakeen of Stillpoints to assemble a system whose ability to convey delicacy and nuance took my breath away.
 
As Shirley Horn sang Joao Gilberto's "Estate" via a Sonorus ATR 10 tape machine ($17,000) and a special, holographically remastered 2-channel tape taken from the 6-channel SACD of her Here's to Life, the music's gorgeous midrange, glowing warmth, and to-die-for timbres were unparalleled in my experience. The world debuts of the SMc Audio/ HiFi One Silver Signature edition linestage ($50,000) and SMc Audio/Hi Fi One Nexus AC power enhancer ($16,000), as well Berning/Hi Fi One 211/845 OTL mono amplifiers ($75,000/pair), were also responsible for the magical presentation.
 
The virtually indescribably delicacy, warmth, and tonal beauty of a 24/96 track from M•A Recordings' Sera una Noche, as transmitted by a chain that included the US debut of the Wadax PRE 1 native DSD DAC with Zepto clock, phono, A/D, and SSD server ($72,670) as well the SMc Audio components, were astounding. In both setups, EnKlien David cabling and Entreq grounding cabling allied with Entrq's Silver Tellus grounding box ($2699) conveyed a pristine silence between notes that was positively addictive.
 
Equally essential credit goes to the Kaiser Kawero Classic loudspeakers ($65,000/pair), whose ability to convey height, clarity, and tonal beauty turned heads in several rooms at the show. Finally, the room's 13 Stillpoints Aperture room treatments ($650/each), 44 Stillpoints Ultra 6 equipment supports ($899 each), world debut Stillpoints ESS Low Profile Rack ($8295), and 2 Stillpoints ESS Grid racks with Ultra 6 supports ($25,172 each) were essential components in the system. They couldn't totally address bass booming in the extremely difficult acoustic, but they tamed it to a remarkable extent. Experience suggests that without the Stillpoints products, the system would not have been as breathtaking as it was.

T.H.E. Show Newport Beach 2015 Report
The Home Entertainment Show 2015 / SMc Audio & Wadax

The Audio Federation Newport Beach 2015 Report

AV Showrooms Newport 2015 Video Report

Hi Fi One / Stillpoints System Suite 1406

            Berning / Hi Fi One 211/845 OTL amps $75,000 pr.
            Kaiser Kawero Classic speakers $65,000 pr.
            EnKlien David balanced interconnect $16,000 mtr. 2 each
            EnKlein David USB cable 1.50 mtr pricing TBD
            EnKlien David AC cable 5 ft. $8,000. 8 each
            EnKlein 8 foot speaker cable $28,875 pr.
            Entreq Silver Tellus grounding box $2,699
            Entreq Eartha Atlantis grounding RCA $1,639
            Entreq Eartha Apollo grounding RCA $849
            Stillpoints ESS Grid Rack with Ultra 6’s $25,172. 2 each  
            Stillpoints ESS Low Profile Rack $8,295 - world debut
            Stillpoints Ultra 6's $899 ea. 44 each
            Stillpoints Aperture room treatments $650 ea. 13 each
            Sonorus ATR 10 tape machine $17,500
            Sonorus / Hi Fi One Proximity room compensation system $12,000
            SMc Audio / Hi Fi One Silver Signature edition line stage $50,000 - world debut
            SMc Audio / Hi Fi One Nexus AC Power Enhancer $16,000  - world debut
            Wadax PRE 1 Ultimate Native DSD DAC with ZEPTO clock, phono, A/D, and SSD server - $72,670 US debut

 

 

The Munich High-End Show
The Absolute Sound Show Report

By Robert Harley | May 23, 2014

 

David Berning’s patented ZOTL circuit that allows an output-transformerless (OTL) amplifier to maintain a constant output impedance and to drive real-world loads has been applied to an ambitious new monoblock amplifier called the 211/845 OTL. The model number says much about this amplifier; it can operate with either 211 or 845 output tubes—without any user adjustment. The self-biasing output stage automatically adjusts for the tube type. The 60W amplifier operates in pure Class A triode mode, is differentially balanced, and features zero global feedback. The power supply is power-factor corrected. Price: $73,500 per pair. The amplifier is represented by Rick Brown of Hi-Fi One.

2013 CES / THE show

My favorite of both shows may just be the pairing of the TNT Audio amps and Kaiser Kawero Speakers ($66K)  in the Wadax room at THE Show. One of the most profound show turnaround stories was the appearance of the Audio Power Labs 833TNT Monoblock Tube Amplifiers ($175K) which were used in a less than acceptable system with the Leonardo Model 8 Ribbon-Planar Speaker at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. At that time I had said, “I believe, individually, these components have the capacity to sound far better and perhaps utterly enchanting, but this was a tough demo.” In a stunning about face the 833TNT was glorious when paired with the Kaisers!
 
Ricky Brown at Wadax had this rig set up superbly. Though the Kaiser is not a huge speaker, by placing them farther away than usual they were able to breathe and cast a monstrously large and utterly natural soundstage far closer to attendance at a live event than most systems at the shows conveyed. Both vinyl and file playback were neigh unto unassailable; hearing a comparison of Una Sera Noche first via a 24/196 file from the Wadax Hermes Server ($44K), then from the test LP through the Wadax Pre 1 with Phono ($34K) was a treat.

2012 CES / THE Show
The Audio Beat

Spain’s Wadax showed their fascinating PRE 1, a combination preamplifier/phono stage/DAC ($32,500) together with their new La Pasíon powered loudspeakers ($106,500/pair, with dedicated 400-watt amplifiers for each woofer and midrange driver). A C.H. Precision CD player ($36,000) was used as a transport for digital sources, while a Brinkmann Oasis direct-drive turntable ($13,700) with the Brinkmann 9.6 'arm ($4000) and Brinkmann Pi cartridge ($2700) and Echole cabling completed the system.
 
The ferociously complex Wadax PRE 1 is a fascinating component. As explained to me by importer Rick Brown of HiFi One, it can perform a remarkable array of functions, including analog-to-digital conversion of phono signals, in which RIAA equalization is applied in the digital domain. It can also serve as a DAC via its USB, S/PDIF, TosLink and BNC inputs and, when coupled with the Pasíon, contains a 5Wpc amplifier for the speakers’ tweeters. Even more impressive, a user can, using a test LP supplied with a phono-equipped PRE 1, play that recording, record the signal generated by the analog playback setup to a thumb drive or laptop, and send it via e-mail to Wadax. He will receive back software that can be uploaded into the PRE 1 to compensate for any and all electronic discontinuities in the owner’s analog system entirely within the digital domain. In addition to being an incredibly sophisticated piece of audio gear, the PRE 1 is built like a battleship and a striking piece of industrial design.
 
Now I am someone who generally prefers to keep digitization as far away from my LPs as possible, but the Wadax was, as far as I could hear, sonically indistinguishable from the top echelon of dedicated phono stages. The system sounded superb with the jazz LPs and acoustic-guitar duets Brown spun as well as the Julie Driscoll/Brian Auger "Light My Fire" from the remastered CD of Streetnoise. Bass guitar and upright bass had first-rate pitch definition and were exceptionally articulate and bloomy. Driscoll’s voice was dead-bang on in every way and surrounded by a well-defined space. While very expensive, the Wadax gear may well be a precursor of high-end things to come.

Teflon and Beryllium copper sockets